After setting or tying 16 Arkansas school records in 2009, junior Ryan Mallett (official bio) is the first Southeastern Conference player to be selected to the Manning Award Watch List. The 10th quarterback named to the Manning List, Mallett is the second that missed the spring season due to injury - he suffered a foot injury in February, but hopes to be back to full strength in August. The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, is releasing the Watch List one player per day through its official Facebook and Twitter pages. The award has honored the top quarterback in the nation for the past six years.

Mallett, who debuted for the Razorbacks last year after transferring from Michigan, posted the third-best pass efficiency rating in SEC history last year at 152.5 (seventh in the nation). Among returning players in the country, the 6-6 junior ranked second in passing yards (3,627), second in TD-interception ratio (4.29) and fourth in TD passes (30). He was also the only player in the SEC to throw five-or-more touchdown passes in three different games while leading the league in both 300-yard (5) and 400-yard performances (2). The 32 career touchdowns Mallett has been responsible for and his 30 career touchdown passes rank as the highest totals by active SEC players entering 2010. A finalist for the Manning Award last year as well, Mallett was the Most Valuable Player of the Liberty Bowl after recording his 12th game with 200-passing yards. The Razorbacks welcome Tennessee Tech to Fayetteville on Sept. 4 to open the 2010 season.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances. Ten finalists will be selected in late-November and the winner will be announced after the bowls in January and will be honored at a ceremony in New Orleans.

The preseason Watch List recognizes some of the top quarterbacks in the nation based on previous collegiate performance, however, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible for the honor. Additional quarterbacks may be added to the Watch List after the start of the season. The list of 10 finalists will be released on Monday, Nov. 29. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 19.

The Manning Award will be recognizing its seventh winner this year. USC's Matt Leinart was the inaugural winner of the award in 2005, followed by Texas' Vince Young in 2006. Both went on to be top 10 NFL draft picks. In 2007, LSU's JaMarcus Russell earned the award and was the NFL's No. 1 draft pick. Boston College's Matt Ryan claimed the award in 2008 and was drafted No. 3, quickly becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2009, Florida star Tim Tebow earned the honor - he also went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Last year's winner was Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy, the winningest quarterback in college football history. McCoy was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft.